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� e Gospel Project®Adult Leader Guide ESVVolume 2, Number 2 Winter 2013-14

Eric GeigerVice President, Church Resources

Ed StetzerGeneral Editor

Trevin WaxManaging Editor

Philip NationDirector, Adult Ministry Publishing

Faith WhatleyDirector, Adult Ministry

Send questions/comments to: Managing Editor, � e Gospel Project: Adult Leader Guide, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0102; or make comments on the Web at www.lifeway.com.

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Matt Chandler lead pastor of � e Village Church in Dallas, Texas

Marty Duren social media strategist at LifeWay in Nashville, Tennessee

Christian George professor of religious education at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Oklahoma

J. D. Greear lead pastor of � e Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

Adam Harwood professor of theology at New Orleans Baptist � eological Seminary in Louisiana

Michael Kelley director of discipleship at LifeWay in Nashville, Tennessee

Philip Nation adult publishing director at LifeWay and teaching pastor of � e Fellowship in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee

Mary Jo Sharp professor of apologetics at Houston Baptist University in Texas

Trevin Wax managing editor of � e Gospel Project at LifeWay in Nashville, Tennessee

Keith Whitfi eld professor of theology at Southeastern Baptist � eological Seminary in Wake Forest

Jarvis Williams professor at � e Southern Baptist � eological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky

Afshin Ziafat lead pastor of Providence Church in Frisco, Texas

About the Writers

Adam Harwood

Jarvis Williams

103103Session 9

SESSION 9

HellIs Hell Real and Necessary?

Summary and Goal

In this session, we are going to look at the why behind the reality of hell. Because the Scriptures are clear that hell is a real place, we will not spend our time proving its existence. Instead, we will examine the Scriptures to understand why it exists. In the end, we will see how the reality of hell honors the choices of God’s image bearers and how eternal justice magnifi es the glory and holiness of God. � en we will see how the reality of hell ought to fuel our passion to see lost people come to know Christ and be saved.

Steps to Prepare

1. Read the main passages for this lesson, recording your insights and questions:

- Exodus 9:13-17 - Luke 16:19-31 - Romans 10:11-17

2. Study the Expanded Lesson Content (pp. 106-113).

- Determine what elements of this lesson are most applicable to your particular group. - Consider ways to personalize the lesson content for you and your class.

3. Review the Teaching Plan (pp. 104-105).

- Refi ne the lesson plan based on your group’s particular needs. - Adjust the plan if necessary.

4. Pray for the Lord’s guidance as you lead your group through this material.

Lesson Outline

1. � e reality of hell honors the choices of God’s image bearers (Luke 16:19-31).

2. � e reality of hell magnifi es the glory of God (Ex. 9:13-17).

3. � e reality of hell gives urgency to evangelism (Rom. 10:11-17).

By J. D. Greear

© 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute within the license agreement with purchaser.

104 Leader Guide | Winter 2013-14

Introduce the Lesson Jump right into the “big question” for this session—“Why is there a hell?” Begin dealing with common objections to this part of Christian teaching (leader p. 106; personal study p. 83).

Why is the idea that God would punish people in hell so o� ensive to people today? Do you wrestle with this teaching? What are some of your own doubts and concerns?

Mention how the author has personally wrestled with this doctrine, and then summarize the lesson (leader pp. 106-107; personal study p. 83).

1. The reality of hell honors the choices of God’s image bearers.

Set up the discussion on Luke 16:19-31 by showing how Jesus spoke more about hell than heaven. Read the story, encouraging your group to notice the description of the rich man’s attitude and actions (leader p. 107).

Walk through the passage, pointing out the rich man’s idolatry, love of money, and religiosity. � en show how this man’s lack of concern for the poor was a signal that he did not truly know God. Explain hell as the death that takes place when we choose life without God (leader pp. 108-109; personal study pp. 84-85).

Would you think of this man as a bad man? Why or why not? What are some false gods worshiped by religious people? How does our understanding of idolatry during life connect with the idea of eternal su� ering after death?

Discuss the way hell is described (fi re and darkness) and what this imagery is intended to communicate. Highlight the truth that hell exists as the consequence of choosing to resist God’s presence and reject His love (leader pp. 109-110; personal study pp. 85-86).

What biblical images come to mind when you think about hell? What do these images communicate about hell?

For Further DiscussionOne of the most famous skeptics in history, Bertrand Russell, said in his book Why I am Not a Christian that Christ’s teaching on hell is the one profound defect in Christ’s character. Atheists Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and others have said similar things. How would you respond?

For Further DiscussionWhat are some di� erences you notice between Lazarus and the rich man?

For Further DiscussionAre you surprised by how much Jesus talked about fi nal judgment? Do you think pastors and leaders talk too much or too little about judgment today?

HellTeaching Plan

Session 9

105105Session 9

2. The reality of hell magnifi es the glory of God.As you read Exodus 9:13-17, encourage your group to observe what this passage tells us about God and what this passage tells us about rebellious humans who stand against Him.

Highlight the truth that God will get glory through willing submission of humans or through righteous judgment against those who spurn Him. Compare and contrast the infi nite nature of God’s power and wisdom over against human power and wisdom (leader pp. 110-111; personal study p. 86).

How is the Bible’s portrait of God di� erent from the image many in our society have? How does the vision of His majesty and love di� er from the sentimental view of love prevalent in our culture?

Unpack the truth that God is indeed angry at sin but that His anger is rooted in His love for people. Explain what takes place when we lessen the tragedy of hell and how minimizing judgment aff ects our experience of God’s grace (leader pp. 111-112; personal study p. 87).

What is the connection between understanding the severity of God’s judgment and the extravagance of His grace? How does a biblical understanding of hell increase our view of God?

3. The reality of hell gives urgency to evangelism.Bring the discussion about hell back to the gospel of Jesus Christ and what He accomplished through His death and resurrection. Emphasize the glory and grace of the cross. � en read Romans 10:11-17 and highlight our responsibility to run to others with the gospel (leader pp. 112-113; personal study p. 88).

ConclusionConclude the lesson with a call to embrace the Bible’s teaching on hell and our task as missionaries for God’s kingdom (leader p. 113; personal study p. 88). Conclude with the following questions:

In what ways should the reality of hell increase our sense of urgency in reaching the lost? How does the reality of hell impact our understanding of our mission as Christ’s followers?

For Further DiscussionIn what ways does the gap between God’s infi nite knowledge and our fi nite understanding encourage you when you don’t fully grasp His ways?

For Further DiscussionSometimes people will say, “God looks at your heart,” as a way of avoiding di� cult truths about eternal judgment. Considering what the Bible says about the human heart, why should this truth cause us to recognize our sin instead of our sincerity?

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IntroductionBig questions. � ey don’t

go away at the moment you become a Christian. You may approach them diff erently, with a faith that seeks understanding and a willing submission to the authority of God’s Word, but the questions are still there. And hell is a big one.

Some people hear Christian teaching about a place called

hell and they immediately reject everything else too. “Well, if Christians believe that, then Christianity can’t possibly be true! How could anyone take Christianity seriously if there is a place called hell where God sends people who reject Him?” And so, many people recoil from an image of God that seems cruel, mean, and vengeful, as if He were a sadist who delights in torturing people for not believing in Him.

� en there’s the question of fairness. Doesn’t the punishment exceed the crime? You live a normal life, 70 or 80 years. You’re not perfect, but you’re not all that bad. And then you go to hell for all eternity? Eternal punishment for 70 years of misdemeanors?

Why is the idea that God would punish people in hell so o� ensive to people today? Do you wrestle with this teaching? What are some of your own doubts and concerns?

� e doctrine of hell is personal for me. It nearly destroyed and then saved my faith. At fi rst, I could not understand how a loving God and an eternal place like hell could coexist. In college, the tension almost wrecked my faith.

But later, it was the doctrine of hell that caused me to reckon with the majesty of God. Hell led me to embrace everything else the Bible says about God’s nature and rule—things I could not fully understand. � e severity of hell showed me the heinousness of my sin.

Voices from the Church“I am conscious of the fact that the subject of hell is not a very pleasant one. It is very unpopular, controversial, and misunderstood…As a minister I must deal with it. I cannot ignore it.” 1

–Billy Graham

HellExpanded Lesson Content

Session 9

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Eventually, I came to realize that if God is as big and holy as the Bible says He is, then I’m foolish for thinking He should fi t into my simple categories. Until you concede the existence of a God far beyond your comprehension, you’ll be baffl ed by your inability to fi gure everything out and angered that He doesn’t operate the way you think He ought to. � e reality of eternal justice helps us see just how big God is, and this in turn puts us in the proper posture to believe.

Lesson SummaryIn this session , we are going to look at the why behind the reality of

hell. Because the Scriptures are clear that hell is a real place, we will not spend our time proving its existence. Instead, we will examine the Scriptures to understand why it exists. In the end, we will see how the reality of hell honors the choices of God’s image bearers and how eternal justice magnifi es the glory and holiness of God. � en we will see how the reality of hell ought to fuel our passion to see lost people come to know Christ and be saved.

1. The reality of hell honors the choices of God’s image bearers (Luke 16:19-31).Sometimes Christians try to avoid the subject of hell by pitting the

Old and New Testaments against each other. Hell? Oh, that’s God: Version 1.0, God in His junior high years when He was cranky! You’ve got to remember that Jesus was meek and mild, all about love and compassion. Of course, a cursory reading of the Gospels blows up that myth. Jesus talked more about hell than heaven. As an example, let’s look at one of the stories Jesus told—“� e Rich Man and Lazarus.”

19 “� ere was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fi ne linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 � e poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. � e rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his fi nger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this fl ame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fi xed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’

Further CommentaryIs the story of the rich man and Lazarus a parable or an actual occurrence? Most scholars believe the story is a parable, due to its common beginning (similar to the parable of the prodigal son—“there was a man…”) and other features common to parabolic material. But because this is the only story of Jesus to include a name (“Lazarus”), some scholars have concluded that Jesus was recounting an actual occurrence. Regardless of one’s perspective, we are able to discern several important truths about eternal judgment from the account.

108 Leader Guide | Winter 2013-14

27 And he said, ‘� en I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have fi ve brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘� ey have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”

� e story of the rich man and Lazarus tells us several things about what eternal judgment looks like. But a key truth we see in this account is how the rich man’s choices during life are ratifi ed after his death.

Take a closer look at the rich man. � e fi rst thing we notice is how successful he was. Interesting how Jesus tells us the poor man’s name (“Lazarus”) but only describes the rich man by his riches. Apparently, the basis of this man’s identity was his wealth.

We see in this man’s pursuit of riches a microcosm of what all sin is—idolatry. One aspect of sin is the choice to draw ultimate fulfi llment from something other than God. For many people, it’s being liked, being respected and admired in your career, having a good marriage or well-behaved kids. Whatever it is you simply must have in order to be happy and fulfi lled is a false god. It’s what defi nes you and your pursuits. For this man, it was money.

� e rich man’s love of money didn’t keep him from being religious. Not at all. In his agony, he called out to father Abraham. � is was the kind of man who probably lived a moral life as a decent citizen. He wasn’t opposed to God at the level of belief. But it becomes painfully clear that the rich man did not know God.

You see, sometimes our religious activities (even as Christians) aren’t born out of genuine love for God but are intended to increase our social position, to earn a place in heaven, or to carry on traditions. � at’s why, in the midst of his suff ering, this man didn’t call on God. He asked for Abraham. He knew his religion, but he didn’t know God.

� e strongest piece of evidence that this man didn’t know God was his lack of concern for the poor. � ose who know and love God are radically generous with fi nances. It’s when we think we’ve earned our salvation that we don’t have compassion on those in need. But when we realize all we have is a gift, it makes us compassionate. On earth, this rich man was unmoved by the needs of others; he turned a deaf ear to Lazarus. (Even in hell, he still views Lazarus as his water boy!) � ough he was extremely religious, he had not had an encounter with the grace of God.

So what do we have here? A man who looks great on the outside, while inside, his core is rotting. He is defi ned by his idols. He doesn’t know or love God. He worships money and lives for himself.

Further CommentarySome attempt to soften the Bible’s description of hell as a place of fi re and sulfur (Rev. 19:20; 20:10; 21:8) by saying the description of it is only metaphorical and therefore not literal. However, such an explanation misses the purpose of using descriptive language. When Christ Himself repeatedly emphasized that the punishment involves fi re (Matt. 5:22; 18:8-9; 25:41; etc.), it is di� cult to see how such imagery can be softened as “just metaphorical.” When properly understood, Christ’s use of fi re imagery is pointing to a literal reality that is even worse. The implication of Christ’s stark teachings is that we ought not seek to soften the horror of hell.

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At the end of his life, the rich man gets what he wanted—life without God. But life without God wasn’t what he expected. It is hell. � e man’s rejection of God in this life continued into the next. But instead of enjoying life without God, he experienced eternal torment. Interesting, isn’t it? Before we see the man in hell, we see the evidence of hell in the man.

Life with God was God’s original intention for all humanity; life without Him is death. Like being a fi sh out of water, dying endlessly in the hot sun, a human being who rejects God is shut off from eternal joy.

Would you think of this man as a bad man? Why or why not? What are some false gods worshiped by religious people? How does our understanding of idolatry during life connect with the idea of eternal su� ering after death?

� ere are two common descriptions the Bible gives for hell: fi re and darkness. Fire indicates insatiable desire. Fire consumes things but is never satisfi ed. Leave a fi re unchecked, and it grows and grows. It is never full. � e rich man’s life was like that—never satisfi ed, always consuming things, abusing other people. Before the consuming fi res of hell reached the man, the man burned with consuming fi re for his idols.

Hell is the culmination of telling God to “get out.” � at’s why hell is described as darkness. God is light; His absence is darkness. Right now on earth, we experience light, things like love, friendship, the beauty of creation—remnants of the light of God’s presence. � ese earthly enjoyments are akin to the light of the sun’s rays; they emanate from God. � ey warm us, but their ultimate source is God. And when you shut off God, ultimately you’ll lose them.

Take sunlight, for example. If the sun were extinguished, it would take eight minutes before its rays would disappear from earth. In God’s grace, we live in a world with the light of God still present. But when you tell God you don’t want Him as Lord, eventually you get your wish. But without God, you lose all of His gifts. � at’s why the rich man in this story is in torment. He got what we wanted (life without God) but not what he expected (satisfaction).

When people hear about hell, they object to it, thinking that it means God doesn’t love us. But the Bible is clear that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 18:23). He desires that all would come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). His love for us is most manifestly demonstrated in the cross of Jesus Christ. Even in this story, Abraham calls the rich man with a tender name (“ child”).

Voices from Church History“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ ”

“In the long run the answer to all those who object to the doctrine of hell is itself a question: ‘What are you asking God to do?’ To wipe out their past sins and, at all costs, to give them a fresh start, smoothing every di� culty and o� ering every miraculous help? But He has done so, on Calvary. To forgive them? They will not be forgiven. To leave them alone? Alas, I am afraid that is what He does.” 2

–C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)

110 Leader Guide | Winter 2013-14

But why even make hell? Why create a place for humans to suff er? � e biblical answer is He didn’t. Jesus asserted that hell was made for the Evil One and the angels who joined his rebellion (Matt. 25:41). It was not created for humanity. But in honoring the choices of the humans who bear His image, God sends to hell those who refuse to bow the knee to His lordship.

� ere are two options: life with God or life without Him. Rejecting God is choosing hell.

What biblical images come to mind when you think about hell? What do these images communicate about hell?

2. The reality of hell magnifi es the glory of God (Ex. 9:13-17).13 � en the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and

present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘� us says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go.

God is going to get glory. Either He is going to receive glory by the willing submission of those who repent of their sin and trust in His Son or He is going to receive glory through the manifestation of His righteous judgment against those who spurn Him. Either way, He will be glorifi ed.

� is passage in Exodus is a great example of how salvation and judgment go hand in hand. God’s glorious love was manifested in the way He rescued the Israelites from bondage to Egyptian oppressors. At the same time, God’s glorious justice was manifested in the way He sent plagues upon the wicked. � e salvation of God’s people took place through the judgment of those who had set themselves against Him.

When God shows mercy, He is glorious. When God executes justice, He is glorious. Come to grips with the magnifi cence of God and some of the “big questions” related to Christianity disappear.

� ink about how great is God’s power compared to ours. He spoke the worlds into existence. He created the nebulae and the planets and the stars and the complexities of the atom and the molecule with just a word! One strand of DNA can store enough information to fi ll up 1,000 sets of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 3 while you have problems getting your DVD player to work right with your cable box!

Further CommentaryThis passage introduces us to the mystery of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Paul addressed this subject with respect to Pharaoh in Romans 9, about which Edwin A. Blum made these study notes:

“God raised up ‘Pharaoh’ as ruler of Egypt and used him as a foil to reveal His name (Yahweh) and His power so the one true God would be known. Pharaoh believed himself to be the epitome of Ra the sun god. He hardened his heart and rejected God’s revelation (Ex. 7:3; 8:15).”

“God hardened Pharaoh in his stubbornness as he progressively rejected the plagues that revealed ‘the fi nger of God’ (Ex. 8:19). Exodus points out that Pharaoh hardened his heart many times before God punished him by hardening him.”

“Paul declared that the Judge of the earth is always just…Man cannot judge God.” 4

111Session 9

Now, if there is a God, then His wisdom is also infi nite. By extension, His wisdom is as high above yours as His power is above yours. So shouldn’t you realize there will necessarily be aspects of God that may not make sense to you?

One of the reasons I think people in our secular culture have trouble believing in God is because we talk about Him with so little sense of wonder and awe at his majesty. Charles Misner, one of Einstein’s students, wrote about the famous scientist’s lack of interest in religion: “[� e design of the universe is] very magnifi cent and should not be taken for granted. In fact, I believe that is why Einstein had so little use for organized religion, although he strikes me as a basically very religious man. He must have looked at what the preachers said about God and felt that they were blaspheming. He had seen much more majesty than they had ever imagined, and they were just not talking about the real thing. My guess is that he simply felt that religions he’d run across did not have proper respect…for the author of the Universe.” 5

How is the Bible’s portrait of God di� erent from the image many in our society have? How does the vision of His majesty and love di� er from the sentimental view of love prevalent in our culture?

Some of you may be thinking, I understand why hell exists and why it’s necessary that people who reject God must go there. But why these images of fi re? It makes it seem like God is angry at sin! Good point. And you’re right. God is angry at sin. � e Bible is clear that God is wrathful toward sin.

But this wrath is not divorced from God’s love. No. It’s because you love someone that you are rightly angered when you see something that is opposed to them. It’s God’s love for His creation that leads Him to be rightfully angry when He sees people destroying one another, committing atrocious acts of violence and injustice, hurting and abusing themselves and the world around them.

God’s anger is a righteous anger. � e greatest and most egregious injustice in the universe was our refusal to live for and give glory to God. Don’t compare yourselves to Hitler and the “really bad people.” Start comparing yourselves to Jesus, the perfect righteous One, the One who shows us how God originally intended all human beings to be.

God’s anger is personal because His love is personal. A woman who discovers her husband is committing adultery gets angry. Why? Out of love. A shrug of the shoulders would communicate a lack of love. It’s the anger that demonstrates the ferocity of exclusive love.

� e Bible often describes our sin as adultery. Our decision to live without God and to spurn His advances toward us is cosmic adultery. Even our good deeds on earth are done in the context of a life of unspeakable injustice in not loving God with all of our hearts.

Voices from the Church“Among those Christians to whom hell means little, Calvary means less.” 6

–Billy Graham

Voices from Church History“Woe to the person who smoothly, fl irtatiously, commandingly, convincingly preaches some soft, sweet something which is supposed to be Christianity!…Oh the time wasted in this enormous work of making Christianity so reasonable, and in trying to make it so relevant!” 7

–Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

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� at’s why hell is infi nite, never ending. People say it’s not fair that fi nite sin would receive infi nite punishment. But don’t forget, our sin was against an infi nite God, and justice requires an infi nite punishment. Hell is a very clear statement to us about the greatness and majesty of God. Hell is what it is because God is who God is.

Some people think they’re doing God a favor by lessening hell, but what they’re doing is diminishing the greatness of God. � e truth is we think hell is severe because we don’t think trampling on the glory of God is that big of a deal. We think the big deal in the universe is us. I know this is horribly off ensive to us as humans who think the universe is all about us—but it’s not. � is whole creation is a theater to the only true, good, all-powerful God. He is the big deal in the universe, and everything works to His glory. Hell itself is a permanent monument to the greatness of His name.

But no matter how great and mighty God is, He is also loving. � at’s why He invites us to know and love Him, to enjoy Him and share in His delight. God is so loving that He even sacrifi ced His own Son for us so that even after we trampled His glory, He could allow us to know and enjoy Him again.

What is the connection between understanding the severity of God’s judgment and the extravagance of His grace? How does a biblical understanding of hell increase our view of God?

3. The reality of hell gives urgency to evangelism (Rom. 10:11-17).� e reality of hell shows us the extent of God’s love in saving us.

� ough some people see hell as a blemish on God’s love, the Bible presents the opposite. Hell magnifi es for us the love of God in showing how far God went—how much He went through—to save us.

We sing, “I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon the cross.” One of the ways you understand how much God loves us is seeing what it cost Him to save us. � at’s why Jesus spoke more about hell than anyone else in the Bible. Because He wanted us to see what He was going to endure on the cross on our behalf.

� e reason many Christians don’t want to believe God would send people to hell is because they don’t think they are worthy of hell. Almost all of our apologetic diffi culties go back to assuming our goodness and God’s smallness.

But when we see that we deserve hell, we see how glorious the cross is, which was the clearest picture of God’s majestic greatness and love reaching down to the depths of our wickedness. You can’t really appreciate the cross until you embrace hell. � e reason most Christians don’t weep at the cross is they don’t embrace, or really understand, the doctrine of hell. Hell is what leads you to worship, to stand in awe of the grace of the cross.

Voices from the Church“The love that won on the cross and wins the world is a love that is driven, determined, and defi ned by holiness. It is a love that fl ows out of the heart of a God who is transcendent, majestic, infi nite in righteousness, who loves justice as much as He does mercy; who hates wickedness as much as He loves goodness…He rules, He reigns, He rages and roars, then bends down to whisper love songs to His creatures…He is a God who triumphs.” 8

–Timothy Stoner

Further CommentaryIn discussions about hell, the question often comes up about those who have never heard the gospel. The apostle Paul addressed this question indirectly in his Letter to the Romans. First, he taught that all people have heard about God through the fact that God has revealed Himself in creation (Rom. 1:18-20). Second, all people have rejected God (1:21-32). Therefore, all people are guilty before God and deserve His punishment (3:10-11). But God has made a way of salvation for all people through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (3:21-24). People must hear the gospel to believe and be saved (10:14). The gospel only goes forward through human instruments (10:15-17), which means the task of evangelism is urgent. Speculation on the fate of the unevangelized ought to be replaced with passion to take the gospel where Christ has not been named.

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Now what are we supposed to do once we stand in awe of the cross? Start running to others with the news. � e apostle Paul wrote:

11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Conclusion� e reality of hell presents us with an option. We either deny the

Bible’s teaching on this subject or we ignore it, choosing to affi rm it in our doctrinal statements but living functionally as if it weren’t really there.

Or there’s one more option. We can be fi lled with the missionary zeal described in Romans 10—to take the gospel to those who don’t know Christ.

� ink back to the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Remember how the rich man wanted to send someone back from the dead to warn his brothers? Hell made an evangelist out of the rich man. What about us?

In what ways should the reality of hell increase our sense of urgency in reaching the lost? How does the reality of hell impact our understanding of our mission as Christ’s followers?

Voices from the Church“The same Jesus who has shown himself to be perfectly just and perfectly merciful is the one who will carry out the judgment. We can have complete confi dence in him to do what is right and good on that day.” 9

–Mark Galli

References1. Billy Graham, in Billy Graham in Quotes, ed. Franklin Graham (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011), 175.2. C. S. Lewis, The Quotable Lewis, eds. Wayne Martindale and Jerry Root (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 1990), 293, 294. 3. Richard Dawkins, The Blind Watchmaker (New York: Norton, 1986), 116.4. Edwin A. Blum, HCSB Study Bible (Nashville: B&H, 2010), 1942, n. 9:17; n. 9:18; n. 9:19.5. Charles Misner, quoted in Think, by John Piper (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 194.6. Billy Graham, in Billy Graham in Quotes, ed. Franklin Graham, 175.7. Søren Kierkegaard, quoted in Jesus Mean and Wild, by Mark Galli (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008), 201.8. Timothy J. Stoner, The God Who Smokes: Scandalous Meditations on Faith (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2008), 30.9. Mark Galli, God Wins (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2011), 100.10. Adapted from “5 Keys to Becoming a More Caring Group,” by Mark Howell, Bible Studies for Life blog [online], 12 April 2013 [cited 1 July 2013]. Available from the Internet: blog.lifeway.com/biblestudiesforlife.

114 Leader Guide | Winter 2013-14

Devotional MaterialEncourage your group to read the three devotional readings included in the Personal Study Guide.

Study Material - “Hell and Judgment”—Chapter 6 from God Wins by Mark Galli - “How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?”—Chapter 5 from � e Reason for God by Timothy Keller

- “� e Judgmentless Gospel”—Chapter 3 from Counterfeit Gospels by Trevin Wax

- “Hell and the Gospel”—Article by Gregory Koukl ; fi nd a link to this article at gospelproject.com/additionalresources

Hell

Tip of the WeekFour Keys to Becoming a More Caring Group

How deeply do your group members care for and support each other? Developing a caring group is countercultural in the 21st century, but it must happen! Here are four keys to becoming a more caring group:1. Caring for each other is modeled by leaders. Are you modeling a

genuine caring attitude?2. Healthy transparency and vulnerability is modeled by leaders. If you

want your group members to be open about their needs, you’ll often have to go fi rst.

3. Establish commitments, values, and expectations using a small group agreement. Remember, genuine caring is countercultural and not on the radar of many group members.

4. Make heroes out of group members who go out of their way to be caring. 10

Sermon Podcasts

J. D. Greear: “How Could a Loving God Send Someone to Hell?”

D. A. Carson: “� e God Who Is Very Angry”

Find links to these at gospelproject.com/additionalresources

Additional Resources